We are all Slaves to Love
by Darshia Gotham
Summary: A tale of the courier's long journey across the Mojave Wastes and his eventual ascension to power over the Mojave Wastes and the man he loved. I have to apologize in advance for my awful summaries. The story is a lot better I promise.
1. Chapter 1, Part 1: Waking Up Dead

Disclaimer: Fallout: New Vegas is the property and creation of Obsidian Entertainment and Bethesda Softworks; however Titus Aurelian is my player character and thusly belongs to me.

Author's Warning and Notes: So I thought I'd try my luck at something entirely different than what I normal write and take a shot at writing a Fallout fanfic. This fanfic will be rated M for coarse language, violence, substance abuse, suggestive themes and sexual content. The story will also contain slash (for those of you who are unaware of what that implies it means this story contains male on male relationships/sex) so if it isn't your cup of tea, keep moving. On that note, the main pairing will be my player character, Titus Aurelian (formerly known as Littlefang when he was part of the Hangdogs before they were assimilated into Caesar's Legion) and Arcade Gannon but I may occasionally throw in other pairings to keep things interesting, or just for shits and giggles, we'll see how things go. As a side note this story will also contain spoilers in regards to both the main game and its DLC but I'll try to keep it to a minimum. Reviews are greatly appreciated and flamers and trolls will be ignored. So without further adieu, on with the show.

PS: As a side note, anything in _Italics_ is either thoughts or Titus' flashbacks. But thoughts will appear as such, _'Italics'_.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Goodspirngs!

Part 1: Waking Up Dead Isn't Much Fun

_The hot, summer sun beat down on the boy as he remained crouched down in the brush, patiently waiting for the most opportune moment to make his shot. The dog lying down next to him glanced up at him panting, his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. The boy smiled and pat him on the head before going back to focusing on his shot. But just as he was about to take the shot a cry rang out in the distance, causing him to miss his shot and scare off his prey. Littlefang cursed himself before scrambling to his feet to glance around, trying to figure where the scream had come from. It was then that he noticed the billowing clouds of smoke on the horizon hanging over the area where his village was. The boy gasped in alarm and took off like shot heading back towards the village, his dog following not too far behind. _

_As Littlefang got closer to his village he could see that someone or something had set his village ablaze. As the boy and his dog rushed through the village he found himself surrounded by death, slaughtered villagers were strewn about every where but there was no sign of his tribesmen ever loyal companions. It wasn't until he reached the center of the village that he saw what had become of the missing dogs. Men in strange garments surrounded the remnants of his tribe as they were forced to watch their dogs be burned in front of them, powerless to do anything. Littlefang was outraged to see his people and their spirit animals be treated so shamefully and flew into a rage._

Without so much as a second thought the boy charged at the strange men and stabbed one of them in the back. However, the other strangers were quick to react and rushed to the aid of their wounded brother-in-arms and grabbed a hold of the boy. Littlefang struggled against their grips, snarling and kicking at them as some of the men tried to grab his ankles. As soon as the man tried to subdue the boy, his dog sprang into action, snarling viciously and attacking the men that were trying to harm Littlefang. However a shot suddenly rang out and Littlefang watched in horror as his honoured companion went down.

_The sight of his spirit animal laying dead before him cause him to renew his struggle, snarling, kicking and even going as far to bite his captor. But just as one of the men were about slit his throat, an order of "Stop!" rang out. The legionnaires froze instantly, the knife still pressed dangerously close to the boy's neck as a centurion came over to further examine him. The boy glared at him with all the hate and malice he could muster as he spat in his face. The legionnaires gasped as spittle hit the centurion's cheek, causing him to reach up and wipe it off before, smirking wickedly._

"_Let him go." He ordered, the legionnaires immediately doing as they were told, they set the boy down before the centurion. "Yes, he will do quiet nicely, he will make for a fine addition to Caesar's Legion." He said, still smirking wickedly as he menacingly loomed over Littlefang._

* * *

><p>Titus noticed that the musty smell of pre-War house and sun-dried laundry with the slight undertone of blood and Med-X permeated the air as he began to stir. He stretched out in bed before moving to sit up a little faster than he had intended to, an action he instantly regretted as a white, searing pain shot through his head and momentarily blurred his vision.<p>

"Where the fuck am I?" he questioned as he glanced around, barely able to make out the outline of things. "Ugh, fuck my head!" he exclaimed as he reached up to grip his head. "It feels like my brain is in a fucking vice grip, ugh that's what I get for going on a 3 day bender." He muttered to himself as he massaged his temples.

Titus was about to get up out of bed when he heard hurried footsteps coming into the room and reached down to draw his gun. However when he found his gun wasn't there, he looked down to suddenly realize that not only was his gun not there but he wasn't wearing anything at all other than his underclothes. He glanced around in a panic, searching his for gun or his clothes when he realized that he was in unfamiliar surroundings, it seemed to be some sort of doctor's offices or clinic. He tried to remember how'd got there or where he had been before this but that caused another wave of searing pain to shoot through his head, gripping his head in an attempt to alleviate. He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the footsteps stop and glanced up to see an older man standing in the door frame.

"Yer awake. Well how about that." the older man noted in a slight drawl, obviously surprised to find the other awake much less sitting up in bed.

"Who the fuck are you? Where the hell am I! How the fuck did I get here?" Titus demanded angrily as he shot the older man glare of distrust.

"Whoa, whoa there, just calm down. There's no need to get yourself all riled up." the older man insisted. "I'm Doc Mitchell and yer here in my clinic in Goodsprings." He explained. "Victor brought you here after he dug you out of your shallow grave up at the cemetery." He added. "You've been out cold for a couple of days, I was stating to think you wouldn't be waking up." He finished.

"What the hell do you mean, 'dug me out of my grave'? What was I doing in a cemetery!" he exclaimed angrily, but the angrier he seemed to get the more his head hurt. "Why am I here?" he asked through grit teeth.

Doc Mitchell blinked in momentary confusion before frowning as he noted the pained expression that crossed the irate courier's face. "You shouldn't rile yerself up like that." he commented with a sigh. "But you honestly don't remember anything?" he inquired curiously.

"Remember what exactly?" he demanded as he glared at the other while rubbing his temples. "I mean what exactly is it that I'm supposed to remembering, huh?" he questioned in annoyance. "Cause the last thing I remember is leaving is leaving the Mojave Express office and heading for New Vegas." Titus explained. "So tell me doc, how do I go from being on my way to finish a routine delivery to being buried alive in shallow grave?" he asked in irritation.

"Welp, I can't rightly tell you just **how** you might have ended up here in Goodsprings, but what I can tell you is that you were shot in the head in up the cemetery last night." he explained. "Then whoever it was that tried to kill you threw you in a shallow grave. You'd still be there if it were for Victor." he added.

"Shot in the head?" Titus exclaimed in disbelief before cringing in pain. "Is that why my head hurts so much and why I can't seem to remember anything that happened between the time I left the Primm and now?" he questioned as he rubbed his temples again.

"Yep, I would have to say it is." the older man replied. "The most I can do is prescribe some Buffout or Med-X to help relieve the pain for now." he explained apologetically.

Titus snorted and rolled his eyes. "Thanks for nothing doc." He said with a sigh. "Look if we're done here doc, I've really got to be going. Ya know places to be, packages to be delivered and all that shit." He said flatly as he moved to get out of the bed.

Doc Mitchell nodding understanding, "Alright, just give me a minute to go get yer stuff and you'll be on your way." he said before heading into the other room. "So courier, what's your name anyway?" he called out from the next room.

"Titus," the courier replied. "Titus Aurelian"

The doctor seemed to pale a little as he paused at the door frame after hearing the name before scowling. "Sounds like a name one of those Legion fellers might have." he commented. "Look courier, I don't know if you're mixed up with them or not but the people of Goodsprings are good people, we're not looking for any sort of trouble." he stated as he placed Titus' things on the nearby gurney. "There are your things, feel free to use the bathroom down the hall to change if you'd like." he offered.

It didn't take a genius to notice that the atmosphere had taken a dramatic change after the courier had announced his name. Titus snorted and got off the bed a little faster than he probably should have, causing him to suffer from a momentary spell of dizziness before regaining his proper footing and grabbing his clothes and messenger bag off the gurney.

"Thanks doc, but you've got nothing to worry about." he stated as he passed by the doctor on his way down the hall. "After all, do really think that if I were a Legion spy I'd spend my free time getting shot in the head in cemeteries in the middle of nowhere?" he retorted, rolling his eyes before closing the bathroom door behind him.

Once the courier was alone he leaned back against the door, clutching his possessions close to his chest.

'_What the fuck have I gotten myself into this time?'_ he thought to himself with a heavy sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Titus gave another sigh before turning his attention back to the task at hand and set his stuff down on a little shelf next to the sink. Once he was fully dressed he examined himself in the mirror, brushing some his ginger hair out from in front of his green eyes but then scowled when he noticed the stubble on chin. He was just about to curse himself for once again forgetting to pack a straight razor when he froze, his eyes going wide in panic as he noticed something very important was missing. He felt around his neck in a panicked state before his eyes darted to his bag and he dove for it and began to worriedly rummage through it.

His deck of caravan playing cards, no, additional ammo rounds for his 9mm, no, his reading glass, no, a half empty pack of his favourite brand of cigarettes, no, a business card for the Casa Madrid with a little message scribbled on the back in red ink which read, "Come back and see me real soon" with a heart and signed Jimmy, no, no, no! He searched his bag frantically but there was no sign of his fang necklace anywhere, it was the only connection to his tribe that he had to hold onto! However, that was when he noticed an even larger problem. There at the bottom of his bag, were the delivery orders and manifest for his package but there was neither hide nor hair of the package itself.

The courier nearly ripped the door of the hinges as he burst out of the bathroom and stormed down the hall.

"What's the big idea doc!" he exclaimed angrily. "Where the hell is my chain! Or better yet, where the fuck is the damn package that I'm supposed to be delivering!" he demanded irately before cringing in pain as his headache flared up again.

The doctor frowned as he noted the other's pained expression. "You really need to stop getting yerself all riled up over every little thing." he commented. "But I honestly don't have a clue of where the chain you're referring to is, you weren't wearing it when Victor carried you in here." He explained. "You might want to check the grave Victor dug you out of." he suggested. "As for yer package, I don't rightly know what happened to it, maybe the men that shot you took it." he stated apologetically.

Titus let out a bit a snarl as he sneered before heading for the door to have his arm grabbed by doctor.

"Wait, I have something to give you before you go." Doc Mitchell said as he produced a Pip-Boy 3000. "It's called a Pip-Boy, I grew up in one of those vaults they built before the war we all had one." he explained.

The courier glared at the other angrily. "I know what it is doc, I'm not a fucking idiot." he replied with an annoyed snort.

"Well, at any rate," the doctor continued. "Ain't got much use for it now, but I'm sure you could use it after what you've been through. It should help you find your way and it might just be able to keep you out of getting into anymore trouble." he said as he handed the courier the pre-War tech.

Titus slipped the Pip-Boy and its glove, glancing down at the little screen before turning his attention back to the doctor.

"Thanks doc." he said flatly.

"You might want to try asking around town to see if anyone noticed anything out of the ordinary or came in contact with the men who shot you that night. Might even want to try poking around up at the cemetery to see if they might have left any clues as to where they were headed." Doc Mitchell suggested. "Either way your best bet would be to start by talking to Trudy, she's the bartender over at the Prospector Saloon; it's up the road a spell just past the general store. If anyone saw or heard something you can bet she'd know about it." he added.

"First good news I've heard so far!" He exclaimed. "At least there's still some booze to be had out here in the middle of fucking nowhere." Titus muttered in frustration.

"I don't it would be wise to drink so soon after recovery if you ask me," the doctor noted. "It might make the headaches worse." he stated.

The courier then glared pointedly at the doctor before flipping him off. "Well it's a good thing that I didn't fucking you, now isn't it doc?" he replied with a sneer.

Doc Mitchell frowned and shook his head in defeat, "Suit yerself youngster, I was just giving you my professional opinion." he stated with a sigh. "But let's get you on your way. I'll walk you to the door." he said as he led the other to the front door. "Well, you take care of yerself, if you ever need to be patched up again you know where to find me." he stated before heading back towards the living room.

Titus simply nodded and waved his hand dismissively before walking past Doc Mitchell and out the front door. The courier quickly shielded he stepped of the porch he wouldn't be blind by the bright, midday sun. He glanced around with his eyes squinted as they tried to adjust to the sudden change in brightness. He could just barely make the outlines of the buildings he assumed to be the general store and the saloon and a water tower in the distance. The courier made his way down the small hill that the house sat on, not really paying attention to were he was going and ended up running into Victor which caused him to fall back flat on his ass.

"Hey, what's the big idea!" Titus exclaimed in annoyance as he got up dusting himself. "Who the hell just stops in the middle of…crap…" he started before realizing just **what** he had just run into. "Great, a fucking securitron. It just _**HAD**_ to be a securitron." He groaned in displeasure.

"Hey sorry about that pardner, I was…hey it's you!" Victor said as he turned around to face the courier. "Well howdy, pardner! Might I say, you're looking as fit as a fiddle." the chipper securitron greeted.

Titus eyed the strange securitron curiously. "What's wrong with your face?" he questioned as he eyed Victor with slight suspicion. "Don't you securitrons usually have that tough-looking police officer face?" he inquired.

"Usually, but I'm just a special case I suppose." The securitron stated off-handedly. "But how rude, we've haven't been properly introduced yet have we, I'm Victor." he introduced. "I'm the one who found you up at the old bone orchard after all that commotion the other night and brought you the Doc to be patched up." he explained. "I see he fixed you up good, nice to see you back on your feet pardner."

"Commotion? You mean you saw the men who shot me!" he cried out in slight surprise. "Then why in the hell didn't you do something you worthless heap of scrap metal! Isn't that what you securitrons are supposed to do? Protect people and enforce the law?" he exclaimed irately.

"Welp, I was out for a stroll that night when I heard the commotion up at the old bone orchard. I saw what looked like a bunch of bad eggs so I decided to lay low." The securitron explained. "Once they'd run off I dug you up to see if you were still kicking. Turns out, you were, so I hauled you to the Doc right quick." He added.

"So…you didn't see them then?" the courier questioned flatly with a firm scowl.

"Nope, can't say I'm familiar with the rascals. Maybe some of the fine folks around town might be able to help you out. Sorry I can't be more help pardner." Victor replied apologetically.

"Thanks for nothing rust bucket." Titus said flatly before walking off. _'Fucking robot, if I never saw another one ever again it would be too soon. '_ he thought to himself in annoyance with grit teeth as he made his way to the saloon. _'Well, let's hope this bartender knows something or I'm up shit's creek without a paddle.'_ he noted to himself with a scowl before heading into the bar.


	2. Chapter 1, Part 2: Ghost Town Showdown

Disclaimer: Fallout: New Vegas is the property and creation of Obsidian Entertainment and Bethesda Softworks; however Titus Aurelian is my player character and thusly belongs to me.

Author's Notes: You know the drill, reviews are always appreciated, trolls and flamers will still be ignored. So on with part 2.

PS: As a side note, anything in _Italics_ is still either thoughts or Titus' flashbacks. But thoughts will appear as such, _'Italics'_.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Goodspirngs!

Part 2: Ghost Town Showdown

As soon as Titus entered the saloon he was barraged the sounds and smells one typically expects when entering a bar; the typical musty smell of all pre-War buildings, the sound of music being played by a flickering, neon-light jukebox over in the corner, the familiar smell of alcohol with the hint of puke probably from a patron drinking to much, the sound of people shooting pool. But the one sound he hadn't expected to hear in a place like this was a bark. The courier's eyes widened in surprised he glanced around before his eyes settled on a woman sitting down at a nearby table, her dog sitting protectively by its master side, occasionally barking and sniffing around. But as he began to approach the dog quickly turned her attention to the courier and began to bark and growl at him. However instead of backing off, the courier crouched down and bore his teeth, growling back at the dog until she backed down and sniffed at him curiously.

"Hey, I'm sorry about that, I don't know what got into her all of the sudden." the dog's master apologized as she stood up, waggling her finger at the dog scoldingly.

"Don't do that." Titus said with a scowl when he noticed her scolding the dog. "She didn't do anything wrong, she was just protecting her pack leader." he explained as he knelt down and pet the dog. "If anything she deserves praise for being so alert." he stated with a small smile as he continued to pet Cheyenne. "Where did you find her?" he questioned inquisitively as he glanced up at the woman.

"I found her while I was out wandering the wastes, we've been inseparable ever since." she explained. "You a big fan of dogs? Do you have one of your own?" she inquired curiously.

Titus frowned at the questioned and glanced off to the side for a moment. "I did…once…" he stated before getting up and dusting himself off.

The woman frowned in response to the other's answer and pat his shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said sympathetically. "But at any rate, I'm Sunny Smiles and you've already met Cheyenne." She said with a smile. "You new to these parts? I don't I've ever seen you around here before." she noted curiously.

"Yeah, you could say that." The courier said with a displeased snort.

"Oh hey, you must be that one that Victor brought to the doc a couple of nights ago." she realized. "Glad to see that you've made a full recovery and that you're back on your feet." she said with a warm smile.

"Thanks." Titus said. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know anything about what happened that night, would you?" he asked hopefully.

Sunny frowned and shook her head, "Nope, sorry." she said apologetically. "I'm sure the doc already told you this but you might want to try asking Trudy, she's like the town mother, she knows everything that goes on in these parts." she explained.

"Damn." the courier muttered sourly. "Well do you know where Trudy is?" he questioned.

"She went out back a minute or two ago, probably to go check her supply, she back in a minute." Sunny replied.

It was even a moment later when the back door of the bar opened and slammed as two pair of hurried footsteps were heard entering the bar. Titus peeked around the corner and caught sight of a middle aged woman who he assumed to be Trudy and a man in his early 20's who seemed to be hassling her. Titus stayed where he was to try and listen in to the conversation for the moment before interjecting himself into the situation.

"Look bitch, I'm done being nice. If you don't hand over Ringo soon, I'm going to get my friends and we're going to burn town this to the ground, got it!" the male threatened.

However the woman stood her ground, not showing so much as a hint of fear at the other's threats, "We'll keep that in mind. Now, if you're not going to buy something, get out." she demanded sternly, staring the man down.

The man seemed to be outraged by this and reached for his gun and pointed it at Trudy. "Who the hell do you think you are bitch!" he cried incredulously. "I'm the one making the demands here!" he exclaimed as he pounded his chest with one hand in arrogant pride.

However the man seemed to freeze up as he felt the muzzle of the courier's 9mm pressed against the back of his head and heard a click behind him.

"The lady said it's time to leave asshole." Titus said in a low growl. "Otherwise you're going to have to deal with me and trust me, I'm already in a bad mood, so you really don't want to piss me off." he threatened as he jammed the muzzle into the back of his skill a little hard.

"And just who the hell do you think you are to think you can tell me what to do?" the man demanded as he turned around only to be face-to-face with the barrel of courier's pistol pointed right between his eyes, the courier looming menacingly over him by at least a good 3 or 4 inches.

The man gulped but seemed to stand his ground, whether it was due to courage or stupendous ignorance was up for debate.

"Get that damn gun out of my face!" the shorter male ordered as he narrowed his eyes at the courier.

However Titus didn't seemed impressed as he simply glared back at the other and kept the gun where it was.

"What are you gonna do about it if I don't?" he asked seriously as he nudged the bridge of the man's nose with the muzzle of his gun. "Hm? Gonna shoot me?" he questioned. "If that's the case then you had better be a damn good shot, otherwise you're fucked." he stated rather matter-of-factly. "Cause shooting me just makes me angry." he added with a smirk. "So what's it gonna be? Am I gonna have to splatter your brains all over the bar or are you gonna smarten up and walk away while you're still breathing?" he inquired.

By the looks of the guy, Titus had expected him to piss himself in fear or shit bricks before running off with his tail tucked between his legs. However the last thing he was expecting was to be side swiped by a half-empty glass of scotch which shattered when it hit his jaw. He dropped his gun as he clutched his face, the fresh cuts burning due to the alcohol that had splashed on them when the glass broke. But he wasn't so off-guard that he didn't notice the other man point his gun at him; swiftly knocking it out of his hands with a well placed kick, sending the gun flying across the room and landing in one of the booths.

However, once the shorter male was unarmed he seemed to lose most if not all of his courage. The man tried to make a dash for the front door but Titus wasn't having any of them and grabbed him by the back of his shirt's collar and pulled him back.

"Where the hell do you think you're going you son of bitch?" the courier questioned before sending the other flying into a nearby table.

Titus then went over and grabbed one of the pool cues from the wall before charging at the other with a crazed look in his eyes and then proceeded to beat his skull in with it. He didn't stop beating in the man's skull until the pool cue snapped in half over what was left of other's head. Trudy and the patrons of the bar watched in horror as the shorter man's lifeless corpse slumped down on the floor in a pool of his own blood, his head was nothing but a red pulpy mass of brain matter and shattered fragments of his skull. Titus stood over the corpse for a moment, just tightly gripping the base half of the pool cue before tossing it aside. He then cranked his neck before turning around to glance at Trudy; blood splattered across his face and leather armour, the crazed look in his eyes slightly diminished.

"Well, it seems like you have one less asshole that you need to deal with." he stated rather simply before retrieving his and the now dead man's guns before going over to sit at the bar. "Give me a bottle of your strongest whiskey." he requested, ignoring how much his head was throbbing after that outburst, letting out a sigh before he began to dig around in his bag.

The courier then pulled out his pack of cigarettes, opened the lid and stuck one between his lips. He placed the package down the counter and he began to search for his lighter. But just as he was about to curse himself for not being able to find his lighter, a flame appeared in front of him and the bottle of whiskey he requested was set down in front of him.

"Here, let me get that for you." Trudy offered.

Titus nodded appreciatively as he leaned in to light the end of his cigarette, pulling back to take a long drag before exhaling streams of smoke through his nose.

"Thanks, I really needed that." Titus said appreciatively, more mellow now that he had had a chance to unwind a little.

"I bet, that was one helluva fit of rage you went into." she noted, partially frightened and partially impressed. "Does that happen a lot?" she questioned worriedly.

The courier shrugged as he unscrewed the cap off the whiskey and took a swig. "Only when I get angry," he replied simply. "I did warn him not to piss me off." he stated off-handedly. "But like I said, with him gone it's one less asshole you gotta deal with right?" he mused before taking another drag from his cigarette.

"I suppose you've got me there, that guy has been in here every day this week bugging me to turn over Ringo. He didn't seem to realize that the town wanted nothing to do with their little squabble." Trudy noted in annoyance as she glanced over at the mangled corpse and winced. "But damn, I can't say I've ever seen someone get their skull beaten with a pool cue before." she commented as she grimaced at the thought. "Sunny, could you do something about that thing? Dump it out back or something before it starts to stink up the place." she requested.

"Well, now you have." he stated rather matter-of-factly. "Who was he anyway?" he questioned in disinterest as he snuffed out his cigarette in a near by ashtray. "And who the hell is this Ringo guy that he was talking about?"

"Well it looks like our little town got itself dragged right into the middle of something that we want nothing to do with to begin with." she started with a sigh. "About a week ago, this trader, Ringo, comes into town. Survivor of an attack, he says. Bad men after him, needs a place to hide." she explained. "We figured he was just in shock, so we gave him a place to lie low. We didn't actually expect anyone to come after him." she added with a scowl. "Then that powder ganger fella, Joe Cobb he was calling himself, shows up and starts throwing threats around about how if we don't hand Ringo over we'll regret it." she finished.

"Well then it sounds like I did you a favour by taking out the trash." Titus noted with a small smirk in amusement.

"Oh sure, but the only problem now is that his friends might come looking for him and I don't think they'll really be interested in find out who actually killed him. Those powder gangers don't really seem to be the type to ask questions before shooting." she commented, sounding unamused.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to handle them." the courier stated dismissively before taking another swig of whiskey.

"We wouldn't have to worry about handling them if you had just minded your own business and let me take care of Cobb myself." Trudy retorted with a slight glare.

Titus snorted and rolled his eyes. "Oh well, I'll remember that the next time I see a woman with a gun point at her face." he stated.

The bartender sighed before shaking her head. "Look, it's not that I don't appreciate what you did for me, though it was a little overkill, but could you at least try and talk to Ringo for me?" she requested. "See if you can convince him to leave town before they arrive or something." she tried to reason with the other.

The courier glared narrowly at the woman with a sneer. "Why the hell should I?" he exclaimed. "I mean, what the hell do I look like? I'm not your fucking mother, it's not my job solve your damn problems!" he cried out in aggravation.

"It's your fault Cobb's dead! The least you could do is try and convince Ringo to leave town or to fight his own battles." Trudy insisted with scowl. "If he'd be willing to ask for help from the town folks I'm sure they'd be willing to help deal with the Powder Gangers, especially Sunny." she added.

Titus sneered for a moment before groaning and nodding. "Alright, I'll see what I can do." he mumbled in irritation before getting up, grabbing his pack of cigarettes and the bottle of whiskey and heading for the door.

* * *

><p>Titus wasn't sure how it had happened exactly, but he had somehow managed to get himself roped into helping Ringo take care of the powder gangers. With the help of some of the town's people, the powder ganger never stood a chance. When all was said and done, Ringo paid him the caps that he had on him and told him to come see him at the Crimson Caravan camp in New Vegas for the rest when he got the chance. With that the trader began his long trip back home and Titus headed back into the saloon.<p>

The patrons cheered and some congratulated him, others raised their glasses in appreciation as he made his way to the bar. When he could find a free stool at the bar he found and the nearest empty booth and slumped down in it, letting out a groan as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

'_Well at least __**that's**__ over.'_ He mused to himself in slight annoyance before he noticed that someone had put down a glass of whiskey in front of him and glanced up to see who it was.

Trudy smiled at him and set the bottle down next to the glass. "It's on the house." she said warmly. "I don't think we can thank you enough for helping us with that." she added. "Is there anything else I can get for you?" she inquired curiously.

"No, I'm all set, thanks." Titus said, shaking his head before rethinking that. "Actually, there is something…" he started.

"What is it?" Trudy questioned inquisitively.

"I'm trying to track down the men who attacked me. Know anything about them?" he questioned curiously before taking a sip of the whiskey from the glass.

"Not much, other than the fact that they were a bunch of freeloaders who expected a couple of rounds of drinks on the house." Trudy stated in slight annoyance. "But come to think of it, the entire time they were in here they seemed to be having an argument of some sort." she added after a moment of thinking about it.

"Any idea what the argument was about?" the courier inquired.

"It sounded were arguing about where they were going to go. But the guy in the checkered coat kept shushing them." she explained. "But from the sounds of it they came in from the north by the way of Quarry Junction, but if that's the case I then I can't blame them for not wanting to go back." Trudy added.

"Why, what's up that way?" Titus asked her curiously.

"Well that whole area is overrun by the kind of critters that just get mad if you shoot 'em. Everyone avoids that stretch of I-15 like it's radioactive, which it very could be for all I know." she explained. "I'd avoid that place like the plague if I were you." the bartender she advised.

"Thanks for the advice." he said gratefully with an appreciative nod. "So, any idea where they were headed?" the courier questioned inquisitively.

"I didn't hear exactly, but the leader was talking about the Strip." The bartender explained. "If a fella wants to get there and avoid the 15, he'd have to go east and take Highway 93 up." she added.

"Thanks. One more thing, what's back on the hill with the water tower?" he asked curiously.

"The old cemetery, just that and the water tower." Trudy replied. "Why?"

"Curious, doc said I might want to check the cemetery at some point, see if the men who shot me left any clues." The courier explained before finishing off the whiskey in his glass and getting up out of the booth, grabbing the bottle of whiskey and stuffed it into his pack. "Thanks Trudy."

"I'll be seeing ya, take care of yourself." she said with a wave before going off to tend bar.

Titus nodded in acknowledgement and gave a small wave before making his way towards the door and headed out of the saloon. It was starting to get dark as the courier made his way up the hill towards the cemetery. When he reached the top of the hill he took a moment to glance around the desolate patch of land. A few old graves were scattered about the make-shift boneyard and over in the back right corner was the open hole he assumed must have been his grave. He headed over to open grave and knelt down next to examine the area curiously

He noticed some stray cigarette butts by the grave, picking one up he gave it a sniff and scrunched his nose up at the distinct smell.

'_Ugh, menthols._' he noted to himself in disgust before putting it back down.

He continued glanced around and then saw a pair of sunglasses with a crushed lens and frowned when he picked them up, realizing that they were his.

'_Damn, that was my favourite pair of sunglasses too…'_ he thought to himself in brief disappointment before tossing them broken shades aside.

That was when something shiny in the grave caught his attention and reached in and grabbed it. He began to dust the dirt off and smiled when he realized that it was his necklace. Relief flooded through him, letting out a content sigh as he finished cleaning it off before putting it back on. He continued to smile to himself as he idly toyed with the yao gaui fang as he got up. He then glanced over to see the Strip glowing in the distance like a neon beacon in the darkness and sneered.

"I'm coming for you checkered coat-wearing son of a bitch and when I find you I'll blow your fucking head off." he snarled before turning on his heel and heading off back down the hill.


End file.
